Andrew Schaap

I work in the data center industry, which has precious little margin for error. Downtime isn't an option — as the digital backbone of the economy, data centers must operate 24/7. On top of that, even a small mistake could be a $150 million snafu.

Because the stakes are so high, we spend a lot of time and money training and developing the people who keep our facilities — and our company — running. Add in the talent shortage in our fast-growing industry, and we can't afford not to invest… Show more

I work in the data center industry, which has precious little margin for error. Downtime isn't an option — as the digital backbone of the economy, data centers must operate 24/7. On top of that, even a small mistake could be a $150 million snafu.

Because the stakes are so high, we spend a lot of time and money training and developing the people who keep our facilities — and our company — running. Add in the talent shortage in our fast-growing industry, and we can't afford not to invest in our employees and managers.

While not every industry faces this level of pressure, any company can benefit from embracing a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement. That starts with talent development, which helps the business run smoothly and makes it more likely that people will stick around. A program that gets those results is one that is well-spent. Yet, all too often, businesses drop the ball. Show less

In my industry, being a good neighbor isn't an aspirational, box-ticking exercise. It's a must — not only to gain access to the communities where we do business but also to ensure we retain local employees and protect our investment. This is crucial for data center providers, which typically build facilities to run for 30 to 40 years.

Solving the labor shortage will require some heavy lifting. Besides raising our profile and pushing for more seats at educational institutions, the data center industry must get creative around recruiting and retaining talent. Here’s how to ensure we have the people we need, today and tomorrow.

In the town I’m proud to call home, the population is exploding. The technology and financial sectors are booming too. DFW is abuzz with top-notch restaurants, six major sports teams and a glittering array of cultural attractions. But the truth is, those of us who’ve lived here a while have known about this all along. DFW has been a business and tech hub for decades, with an innovation streak that runs deep. It’s also a great place to live and work. And that success didn’t happen overnight, or… Show more

In the town I’m proud to call home, the population is exploding. The technology and financial sectors are booming too. DFW is abuzz with top-notch restaurants, six major sports teams and a glittering array of cultural attractions. But the truth is, those of us who’ve lived here a while have known about this all along. DFW has been a business and tech hub for decades, with an innovation streak that runs deep. It’s also a great place to live and work. And that success didn’t happen overnight, or by accident. Show less

I recently shared about the promise and potential of liquid cooling in Forbes.

Transparency and honesty can go a long way toward making a business nimble and innovative.
Here are three ways that leaders and their teams can embrace radical honesty — and reap the benefits of better decision-making and a true picture of where the business stands.

AI's rapid rise keeps on grabbing headlines—and rightly so. However, there's an often-overlooked corner of the tech sector that's just as important and is also seeing explosive growth. I'm talking about the data center industry, the backbone of AI and just about everything else digital.

When encouraging its portfolio companies to be fiscally responsible, an investment firm uses a unique guiding principle they call the “grandma test.”

For any company, durability means the difference between success and failure. Here are five ways leaders can build with it in mind.

"As more hyper-scale companies and large enterprises make their way into the region or expand within it, our hope and plan is to expand alongside them," said Andrew Schaap, chief executive of Aligned Data Centers.

With demand soaring, data center providers must deliver sustainable infrastructure at speed and scale, but only disruptive innovation will ultimately supply the winning strategy.

Andrew Schaap, CEO of data center provider Aligned, embodies what he calls the natural tension of a sector that straddles the worlds of commercial real estate and information technology.

CEO of Aligned Data Centers, Andrew Schaap discusses Aligned’s entrance and expansion in the Salt Lake City market as well as current customer needs and future data center trends.

In this one-on-one for the InterGlobix “Faces of the Industry series,” Schaap’s passion for sustainability, efficiency and mindfulness, especially within his own organization, shines through as he updates Editor-in-Chief Jasmine Bedi on the latest developments with one of the top privately owned data center companies.

Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned on market demand, growth opportunities, investor sentiment and what the future holds for the business.

Following the release of the 2021 GRESB results, we sat down with Macquarie Asset Management’s Head of Responsible Investment Mary Nicholson and some of our portfolio companies to get a sense for how the reporting and benchmarking tool is helping to drive consistent improvements in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance.

As local and national economies begin to reemerge from the global health crisis and we look back on the historic acceleration of telework, distance learning, and the digitalization of business and government, it’s now clear that we have been afforded a glimpse into the future. The sudden surge in online activities has not only reinforced the importance of data centers and cloud computing for our society, business, and bottom-lines, but it also brings to the fore urgent technological and… Show more

As local and national economies begin to reemerge from the global health crisis and we look back on the historic acceleration of telework, distance learning, and the digitalization of business and government, it’s now clear that we have been afforded a glimpse into the future. The sudden surge in online activities has not only reinforced the importance of data centers and cloud computing for our society, business, and bottom-lines, but it also brings to the fore urgent technological and environmental challenges. As a result, there has never been a stronger case, nor a more urgent time, for designing and building energy-efficient and sustainable data center infrastructure. Show less

The growth of hyperscale computing has had a major impact on the data center industry. Capacity demands on these organizations continue to exceed projections due to accelerated digital transformation. Just look at how the Microsoft Teams app reached 44 million daily users, adding 12 million in only one week.

Even as most all of our daily activities have moved online and people en masse enter the digital space to work and learn from home — increasing IT loads at unprecedented levels that no one in our industry could have anticipated — now is not the time for data center providers and their customers to abandon their shared sustainability goals.

With humankind in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and IDC predicting global data to surge from 33 zettabytes (ZB) last year to 175 ZB by 2025, now is the time for the data center industry to elevate its commitment to environmental stewardship. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers consume an estimated 200 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, which is one percent of global electricity demand, and contribute to 0.3% of overall carbon emissions… Show more

With humankind in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and IDC predicting global data to surge from 33 zettabytes (ZB) last year to 175 ZB by 2025, now is the time for the data center industry to elevate its commitment to environmental stewardship. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers consume an estimated 200 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, which is one percent of global electricity demand, and contribute to 0.3% of overall carbon emissions.

While it’s true we can’t reduce the amount of data that next-generation technologies such as IoT-enabled devices, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and smart city applications will generate — nor our increasing dependence on them — we can and must strive to develop innovative technical solutions, including data center infrastructure, which will balance the needs of humanity with that of the planet. Of course, any discussion of sustainability and data center infrastructure must begin within the context of fighting climate change and renewable energy alternatives. Sustainability sees the planet as a limited resource and advocates greater efficiency so that operations can be maintained indefinitely, while renewable energy is a method of energy production that does not exhaust the Earth for energy generation because it uses resources that can be continuously replenished. Show less

Speed to market, flexibility, and scalability have become mission-critical for hyperscale platforms and large enterprises when expanding or upgrading existing infrastructure.

Meteoric growth and unprecedented scalability demands are outpacing what high capacity data center customers, such as cloud and platform providers and enterprise organizations, want to produce in their own facilities. Moreover, when expanding into existing or new markets, predicting usage and growth models is… Show more

Speed to market, flexibility, and scalability have become mission-critical for hyperscale platforms and large enterprises when expanding or upgrading existing infrastructure.

Meteoric growth and unprecedented scalability demands are outpacing what high capacity data center customers, such as cloud and platform providers and enterprise organizations, want to produce in their own facilities. Moreover, when expanding into existing or new markets, predicting usage and growth models is becoming a complex endeavor fraught with a variety of bottom line risk factors for these organizations. Show less

As compute loads become more dynamic as demand varies from month to month, day to day, hour to hour and project to project, the supporting infrastructure needs evolve. Today’s forward-looking companies, including hyperscalers, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) providers, and enterprises with high-density computing requirements, require a data center provider that offers adaptive, future-proof infrastructure solutions. The endgame is to provide these organizations with flexible Colocation or… Show more

As compute loads become more dynamic as demand varies from month to month, day to day, hour to hour and project to project, the supporting infrastructure needs evolve. Today’s forward-looking companies, including hyperscalers, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) providers, and enterprises with high-density computing requirements, require a data center provider that offers adaptive, future-proof infrastructure solutions. The endgame is to provide these organizations with flexible Colocation or Build-to-Scale solutions that are designed to maintain pace with their ever-changing workloads and scalability requirements. Show less

Concerns about rising average temperatures and sustainability have grown beyond scientists and society at large to become top-of-mind among the largest global businesses, many of whom continue to pursue their own environmental initiatives with respect to energy management, water stewardship, and climate protection.

The CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, has built the most comprehensive collection of self-reported environmental data available in the world, which enables… Show more

Concerns about rising average temperatures and sustainability have grown beyond scientists and society at large to become top-of-mind among the largest global businesses, many of whom continue to pursue their own environmental initiatives with respect to energy management, water stewardship, and climate protection.

The CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, has built the most comprehensive collection of self-reported environmental data available in the world, which enables companies, cities, states and regions to measure their environmental impact, manage risk and identify opportunities. Last year, the CDP queried organizations to calculate how a warming planet might affect them financially. Show less

Andrew Schaap is CEO of Aligned Energy, a Dallas-based infrastructure technology company that is committed to solving the world’s toughest sustainability challenges associated with data center infrastructure, energy consumption and water usage. As a data center, IT, private equity and real estate executive with more than two decades of experience, Andrew is responsible for driving the company’s business growth, cultivating an ecosystem of innovation, and effectively advancing the company’s… Show more

Andrew Schaap is CEO of Aligned Energy, a Dallas-based infrastructure technology company that is committed to solving the world’s toughest sustainability challenges associated with data center infrastructure, energy consumption and water usage. As a data center, IT, private equity and real estate executive with more than two decades of experience, Andrew is responsible for driving the company’s business growth, cultivating an ecosystem of innovation, and effectively advancing the company’s success with reducing both the economic and environmental impacts of data centers. Prior to joining Aligned Energy, he held numerous leadership positions over an 11-year period with Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR), most recently serving as Senior Vice President. Show less

Wherever you call home, regardless of your business, and whatever your political persuasion, I strongly believe that we can all agree that fighting climate change and advancing sustainability are vital aspects of safeguarding the future of the planet, and ensuring a shared prosperity.

Climate change extends not only to the rising average temperatures that we refer to as global warming, but also to the phenomena of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, wildlife migration, and a host… Show more

Wherever you call home, regardless of your business, and whatever your political persuasion, I strongly believe that we can all agree that fighting climate change and advancing sustainability are vital aspects of safeguarding the future of the planet, and ensuring a shared prosperity.

Climate change extends not only to the rising average temperatures that we refer to as global warming, but also to the phenomena of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, wildlife migration, and a host of other repercussions. Show less

Andrew Schaap, CEO at Aligned Energy, explores the many ways to approach data center cooling. According to Schaap, to future-proof your data center cooling, it is best to start with an adaptive data center partner.

Over the past several years, my colleagues and I at Aligned Energy have recognized that in the face of the relatively unpredictable nature of data flow and generation, hyperscalers, platform and cloud service customers are becoming increasingly aware of the limitations of data center offerings from entrenched providers with less flexible supply chains. More and more, these organizations are seeking solutions that will allow them to scale rapidly while maintaining operational simplicity in their… Show more

Over the past several years, my colleagues and I at Aligned Energy have recognized that in the face of the relatively unpredictable nature of data flow and generation, hyperscalers, platform and cloud service customers are becoming increasingly aware of the limitations of data center offerings from entrenched providers with less flexible supply chains. More and more, these organizations are seeking solutions that will allow them to scale rapidly while maintaining operational simplicity in their respective deployments. Show less

The data center sector has changed dramatically over the last decade, with hyperscale and platform providers driving the most recent building boom. According to new data published by Synergy Research Group, the number of large data centers operated by hyperscale providers rose by 11% in 2018, reaching 430 by the end of the year; another 132 remain in the pipeline.

What’s driving the surge? The major public cloud service providers increasingly attract the migration of ever-expanding… Show more

The data center sector has changed dramatically over the last decade, with hyperscale and platform providers driving the most recent building boom. According to new data published by Synergy Research Group, the number of large data centers operated by hyperscale providers rose by 11% in 2018, reaching 430 by the end of the year; another 132 remain in the pipeline.

What’s driving the surge? The major public cloud service providers increasingly attract the migration of ever-expanding enterprise workloads. The leading social networks have a business model founded on consumers eagerly providing them with troves of invaluable personal data. And the raison d’être of over the top (OTTs, content providers that distribute streaming media as a standalone product) is filling the bulk of our free time with seemingly infinite libraries of entertainment. Show less

Addressing the evolving needs of the high-capacity buyer.

Chief Executive Officer of Aligned Energy, Andrew Schaap, discusses the importance of remaining adaptable, scalable and sustainable in the industry amid technological change
With companies worldwide understanding the importance of embracing technology in order to stay ahead of their competitors, it has become increasingly significant for firms to undergo a digital transformation in order to achieve and sustain success. For leading data center provider, Aligned Energy, the mission of… Show more

Chief Executive Officer of Aligned Energy, Andrew Schaap, discusses the importance of remaining adaptable, scalable and sustainable in the industry amid technological change
With companies worldwide understanding the importance of embracing technology in order to stay ahead of their competitors, it has become increasingly significant for firms to undergo a digital transformation in order to achieve and sustain success. For leading data center provider, Aligned Energy, the mission of innovation and the launch of new facilities has become vital to the company’s progression.

Show less

Chief Executive Officer of Aligned Energy, Andrew Schaap, discusses the importance of remaining adaptable, scalable and sustainable in the industry amid technological change
With companies worldwide understanding the importance of embracing technology in order to stay ahead of their competitors, it has become increasingly significant for firms to undergo a digital transformation in order to achieve and sustain success. For leading data center provider, Aligned Energy, the mission of… Show more

Chief Executive Officer of Aligned Energy, Andrew Schaap, discusses the importance of remaining adaptable, scalable and sustainable in the industry amid technological change
With companies worldwide understanding the importance of embracing technology in order to stay ahead of their competitors, it has become increasingly significant for firms to undergo a digital transformation in order to achieve and sustain success. For leading data center provider, Aligned Energy, the mission of innovation and the launch of new facilities has become vital to the company’s progression.

Show less

Andrew Schaap is the CEO of Aligned Energy, an infrastructure technology company
that offers colocation and build-to-scale solutions to cloud, enterprise, and managed
service providers. Their intelligent infrastructure allows them to deliver data centers
like a utility-accessible and consumable as needed. By reducing the energy, water
and space needed to operate, their data center solutions combined with their patented
cooling technology offers businesses a competitive advantage… Show more

Andrew Schaap is the CEO of Aligned Energy, an infrastructure technology company
that offers colocation and build-to-scale solutions to cloud, enterprise, and managed
service providers. Their intelligent infrastructure allows them to deliver data centers
like a utility-accessible and consumable as needed. By reducing the energy, water
and space needed to operate, their data center solutions combined with their patented
cooling technology offers businesses a competitive advantage by improving reliability
and their bottom-line. Additionally, they are constantly striving to optimise their data
center platform to improve sustainability efforts based on customer demand for
greater power and water efficiencies. Providing clients with a platform that allows for
their preferred deployment design as opposed to traditional methods of having their
IT group design into a static environment enables them to onboard a wider variety
of customers. Speed of delivery, flexible configurations, corporate sustainability and
financial creativity are differentiators that set them apart from traditional platforms. Show less

While Plano-based Aligned Energy has two massive data centers, the company also does build-to-suit projects for its clients that are geared towards flexibility and efficiency.

Our new CEO Andrew Schaap talks about the role of agility, speed, and vision in the Digital Age – for organizations and their data centers.

Quick Take

- We now live in a world where every business is a digital business.
- Organizations that succeed in this environment have three traits in common: agility, speed, and vision.
- But organizations are only as agile, fast, and visionary as their data centers.
- Aligned Energy is uniquely positioned to enable agility, speed… Show more

Our new CEO Andrew Schaap talks about the role of agility, speed, and vision in the Digital Age – for organizations and their data centers.

Quick Take

- We now live in a world where every business is a digital business.
- Organizations that succeed in this environment have three traits in common: agility, speed, and vision.
- But organizations are only as agile, fast, and visionary as their data centers.
- Aligned Energy is uniquely positioned to enable agility, speed, and vision. Show less

Just-in-time provisioning. The world’s biggest data center footprint and its best uptime record. Secure connectivity at the speed of light. Yep, my team has the right stuff to sell your team to help you inhabit the Zettabyte era and succeed.

If you want to future-proof your IT environment and ensure optimized network performance, consider making Digital Realty central to your hybrid cloud strategy. Explore how The Connected Campus can benefit you.

If you’re ready to create a more dynamic and responsive business and help to future-proof your IT environment, make Digital Realty part of your hybrid cloud strategy and learn more about how The Connected Campus can benefit you.

Make sure your team on the ground knows how to access support from your vendors in time of emergency.

Big Data is changing our world, from the way we look at our NCAA Brackets to the way insurance companies look at risk and biotech examines the impact of medication and responses of the human body.